


A Glimpse at Humanity Through Annael

by crOwnlEssG



Series: Notes Tied to Balloons [3]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: A Glimpse at Humanity, A Glimpse at Humanity Through Annael, Angel Family, Angel Siblings, Angelic Family, Angelic Siblings, Angels, Anna - Freeform, Annael - Freeform, Castiel's childhood, Castiel's fledglinghood, Childhood, Collection of stories, Family, Fledglinghood, Fledglings, Gen, Mini-story, Notes Tied to Balloons, NttB, Pre-Series, Sister - Freeform, Three chapters, brother, stories, third story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-29
Updated: 2013-03-29
Packaged: 2017-12-06 20:36:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/739909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crOwnlEssG/pseuds/crOwnlEssG
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As a fledgling, Castiel had a very big, very interesting family. Each story will stand on its own and will consist of three chapters. Third story's up: Angels, especially soldiers, are not supposed to play games. But some rules are worth breaking.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 1

  
_Newborn life replacing all of us, changing this fable we live in_   
_No longer needed here so where do we go?_   
_Will you take a journey tonight, follow me past the walls of death?_   
_But girl, what if there is no eternal life?_   


_._

_Seize the Day – Avenged Sevenfold_

 

* * *

Castiel did not know what was going on anymore. One moment, he was coming down to rest his wings; then the next, three of his older sisters grabbed him from behind and took him to a field of flowers. Castiel had many, many siblings, and there were still a few he had not actually met yet; this was the first time he met Shekinah, Sofiel and Afriel.

And on their first meeting, his sisters were doing... strange things to him:

Afriel kept throwing him in the air and catching him. If she was not doing that, she would hold him and make both of them spin around in a little circle; he just let himself be pulled along even though he failed to see the point of spinning around and around in a circle. Sofiel would sprinkle flower petals on him whenever he fell down, which was mostly because the spinning had gotten too much for him. And sometimes, Sofiel would put flowers on his head and adorn his wings with them. Meanwhile, Shekinah was obsessed with embracing him – or as she called it, 'cuddling' – and 'fluffing up his wings'.

In addition, they talked in an odd, enthusiastic tone, and they always seemed to talk about the same subject:

" _He's so cute!_ "

"I know! He's so small and precious!"

"Oh, Sofiel! Put more flowers on him! He's such a delightful creation."

"Look at him, Shekinah! _Look!_ He's staring at us! Oh, his eyes are just..."

"He really is a little brother, isn't he?"

"His wings are still so soft! How is it that we only met him now?"

"Let me carry him! I want to cradle him next to my Grace!"

For a while, his sisters just pulled him from one activity to another. Eventually, Castiel became tired of being in their presence, if not a tad embarrassed. So when his sisters turned to a patch of flowers, Castiel took that opportunity to escape. A while passed and from afar, he heard his sisters' alarm at his sudden disappearance; he flew faster and tried to find a place to hide.

He found a niche and went in, making himself as small as possible (which, to his slight frustration, was not something he had to work hard for). Later, Castiel sensed his sisters flying toward his hiding spot and he dimmed the light of his Grace. When they simply sped past him, relief made his posture lax; it was not until sometime passed before he emerged from his niche.

They were gone. However, now, Castiel realized that he had apparently placed himself in a remote spot of Heaven, one that he had not seen until this moment. Just as he was wondering just exactly where he was, he felt a tap on his back.

Anxiety rising within him, Castiel turned and expected that Sofiel and the others had found him. His suspicions were proven wrong when he was met with another of his sisters. Like with the previous three, this was the first time he met her, albeit her age was practically the same as his. A quick inspection of her Grace told him that her name was Annael. She was smiling at him, and for some reason she had a hand raised and was swaying it to and fro.

"Hi!" she said.

Castiel stared at her, then at her still swaying hand with bewilderment. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Waving of course. I'm greeting you." said Annael, putting her hand down. She stepped forward and her hand took Castiel's. "If you want, I could give you a much formal greeting."

Before Castiel could think of a response, Annael was making their joined hands go up and down. "The humans call this a handshake, I believe." she informed. She then looked up to face him directly. "Hello, my name is Annael." she said cheerfully.

Castiel regarded the... 'handshake' in utter bafflement. "Why do you need to say your name? Angels don't need introductions with one another." he said.

"I know, but we really should. It's a nice custom." said Annael.

It was not until a few moments that Castiel realized that Annael was still performing the 'handshake' with him.

"H-Hello. I'm Castiel." he said a bit uncertainly.

His sister beamed at him and she finally stopped the handshake. "Pleased to meet you. Would you like to play a game, brother?" Annael inquired.

Castiel was surprised by her words and took a step back. "We don't play games, Annael." he said.

At that, her expression became discerning. "Why not? How come mortals get all the fun? And call me Anna." she added.

"'A-Anna'?" Castiel could not believe what he was hearing. Why would someone blight the name their Father had given them? For him, it bordered on blasphemy.

"It's a nickname I decided to give myself. It's definitely easier to say than my whole name." she replied happily.

"But... why?" Castiel asked.

"Because I want to." said Annael – _Anna_ , smiling. "Would you like a nickname as well? Maybe... 'Cas'?"

Castiel retreated a little as if his sister drew a blade at him. ' _Cas_ '? He could not imagine – _ever_ – having someone call him that and him being fine with it. Anna can cut her name if she wanted, but not his!

"It's alright if you don't want to be called that. I'll call you by your nickname when you're ready." said Anna, and while it was not much, it at least gave Castiel a sense of comfort. She approached him and laid her hand next to his Grace. "Nicknames aren't that bad. Just because you change your name a bit doesn't mean you would lose a part of yourself or make our Father angry. Humans do it all the time with their names." she added.

Humans also sinned, but Castiel did not voice it out.

Then, Anna lightly bumped him, which caused him to briefly lose his balance. "Let's play tag!" she proclaimed.

"What's tag?" Castiel asked.

"It's a game. The person who's 'It' has to chase the other person and touch them, so then _that person_ will be "It" and _they'll_ do the chasing." Anna explained.

Castiel tried to take it all in. Why would people chase each other endlessly like that? It seemed pointless and a waste of energy.

"Who's 'It'?" he inquired slowly anyway.

Anna bumped him again. "Tag! You're 'It'!" She flew off.

For a second, Castiel just watched her go. This was wrong. Angels – especially soldiers-in-training like him – should not play games and have nicknames. Those were all far too human aspects, and the last thing he should do was stoop down to their level. He was an angel, he had obligations... and he was also intensely curious.

Castiel took off after Anna.

He caught up to her relatively soon. When Anna sensed his presence, she glanced at him, let out a giggle and put forth a new burst of speed. Castiel found himself challenged and did likewise. They flew in a straight line that was no more than a blur; as Castiel became close enough to Anna to reach her, Anna suddenly veered off to the right and Castiel was left grasping empty air.

"You will have to do better than that!" laughed Anna as she sped on.

Castiel quickly changed his direction and pursued her once again. He will catch her the next time, he was determined of it. As the chase continued, Castiel got better at making sharp turns, which became more frequent now that Anna knew he was getting used to the game; he did not mind the challenge, he was actually finding joy in it. However, when he thought that, this time, he would get Anna, all of a sudden she went straight up. Castiel was already going too fast to make the necessary change and crashed into a tree with pink and yellow flowers.

A while passed and all that filled Castiel's vision were twigs and flowers. When he finally wrestled his head out of the tree, he saw Anna floating in front of him, laughing.

"You look silly, Castiel." she giggled.

Glancing at himself, Castiel learned that his whole form was, yet again, covered in flowers, though here, the embarrassment flaring within him was much greater. He flapped his wings once in both frustration and preparation for flight; Anna got the hint and gave chase once more.

Castiel, instead of going straight after her, decided to take on a different approach: he would circle and cut her off. It was risky and would cost him a lot of energy, but if it worked it would be worth it. He just hoped the training he had would be enough.

The good news was that, after flying for a long time, he was directly in Anna's path. The bad news was that he miscalculated his aim slightly and crashed right into her; they fell to the ground in a tangle of light and feathers.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." said Castiel as he got off her.

Other angels would have been furious at him for such an act. He was a soldier after all; soldiers do not 'misaim' or 'crash into one another'. However, to his surprise, Anna was not even angry. In fact, she was laughing.

"I suppose this makes me 'It'." Anna chuckled as she got up.

Castiel just stared at her like she suddenly lost her wings.

This caused Anna to let out a laugh. "We're still playing the game, brother." she said.

"Oh."

About a minute passed before Anna broke the stillness. "I'm 'It' now. You're supposed to be fleeing and I'm going to chase you." she clarified.

Castiel looked around them as if to make sure that he was allowed to fly. "You mean... right now?" he asked.

"Yes, right now. You're already disrupting the game." said Anna.

Castiel's wings quivered and lowered themselves around him. This was bad; he felt like he was acting poorly on what a superior had instructed him to do.

"It's alright, I don't blame you." stated Anna, sensing his dread. "This is your first time. I won't hold anything against you."

Relief flowed through Castiel's Grace; were it anyone else, they would be severely displeased with him for not knowing what to do. After a final, careful look at his sister, Castiel took flight with a hint of uncertainty. He was flying fast, but not fast enough for his liking, especially if someone was pursuing him. Was he doing this right? Did he have to reach a certain distance before he could make a turn?

He was starting to reconsider 'playing tag' when Anna spoke up, "Relax, Castiel! Just keep flying in any manner you like! Try to shake me off your trail!"

Castiel nodded and dramatically sped up, doing as many complicated maneuvers he could.

"That's good, that's good! Don't let me catch you!" said Anna, her voice edged with laughter.

The game went on longer than when Castiel had chased Anna. He did not know why Anna had not caught him yet; either she was _allowing_ him to get away or he was truly swifter than her, but either way, he found himself... enjoying this. He never realized he could find happiness outside his obligations.

Anna was beginning to catch up to him and somehow he found himself feeling exhilarated. When Anna made a move to touch him, he flew even faster, just barely escaping her grasp. He let out a triumphant chuckle and, behind him, Anna laughed along. He was actually having, what was termed as, fun. He had never felt so light before, like he did not have any duties to be –

_**Castiel!**_

Castiel stopped immediately at the sound of Zachariah contacting him. He felt Anna bump into him a moment but his focus was locked on his superior, whether he wanted it to or not.

 _**Castiel, I want you at my location_ now. _You have a training exercise waiting; your absence is hindering the rest of the class from commencing.**_

Even though he was not within Zachariah's presence, Castiel bowed his head in shame and humility as he slowly lowered himself onto the ground. For the first time, he did not want to go; he wanted to stay here a little longer. But such thoughts were linked to disobedience and he had no intention to defy a direct order. He no longer felt light.

"Anna, I must – " Castiel turned around but she was not there anymore.

"Anna? Anna!" She did not come. For some reason, his wings drooped a bit at that, although he expected this much of an outcome. Anna must have heard Zachariah as well and decided to leave him now, not wanting to face Zachariah's wrath either.

Nonetheless, Castiel wished she had not just disappeared like that and –

Suddenly, someone tackled him to the ground. He later saw that it was Anna when he got himself onto his back, and before he could ask what she was trying to do, she put her hands on his sides and started doing... something peculiar to him, something that caused him to burst out in uncontrolled laughter.

"A-Anna, wh-what...?" He could not get himself to talk adequately; he was too occupied squealing with mirth. Anna moved her hands all over him and the odd sensation intensified, bringing more laughter out of him. Castiel did his best to squirm out of his sister's hold but he could not get himself coordinated enough.

When Anna reached the underside of his wings, the sensation peaked and Castiel released the loudest giggle he had ever heard in his creation. Hopefully, they were the only angels to hear that.

" _Anna_! Please... s-st-op!" Castiel said in between guffaws. He doubted there was a spot on him that Anna had not yet breached. He had no idea exactly how much time passed before Anna stopped doing... whatever she had been doing to him and rolled off him.

His wings were extremely ruffled, and Castiel had to take a moment to get his bearings before he could ask, "Sister, what _was_ that?"

Anna was lying beside him with a smile on her face, looking as tired as Castiel felt. "A tickle fight, and I must say you really didn't fight back that much." she replied.

"'Tickle'?" Castiel rarely heard that word, and throughout those few times the term was related to humans.

"We feel just as much physical sensations as mortals do, it simply takes... more effort from us." said Anna, doing what humans called a shrug.

Feel.

Castiel quickly sat up and moved away from her. "We don't feel. We're not supposed to feel. We're angels." he said, trying to follow the teachings of his superiors.

Watching him seriously, Anna got up as well. "What's wrong with feeling? Without that, we're just empty shells doing what everyone tells us to do. Being able to feel means that we're alive, that we can make our own decisions." she answered. She smiled and leaned in closer to him. "Didn't you like playing tag, didn't you like being happy?"

Castiel thought about it and, yes, he did like it. He gave a nod.

"Good. And if you're still wondering, that tickle fight was to chase away the anxiety you encountered when your superior contacted you. You feel better, don't you?" Anna asked as she rose to her full height.

The apprehension was still inside him, but Castiel discovered that, indeed, it was not as much as before.

"You should go; I don't want to keep you from your training." said Anna.

Castiel nodded courteously like he would do at any dismissal and started making his way to Zachariah. Though, a couple of seconds later, a thought entered his mind and caused him to turn around.

"Good... Goodbye, Anna." he said. He slowly raised his hand and waved at her.

To see him doing the action made Anna smile very brightly. "Bye, Castiel!" she replied, waving back at him with much more enthusiasm. "It was really nice finally meeting you! Come back sometime if you want!" she yelled.

As Castiel took off, he smiled and found himself considering her offer. All of a sudden, there was more to his life than merely being a soldier.

TBC


	2. 2

_You're the only one I turn to_

_When I feel like no one's there_

_And when I'm lonely in my darkest hour_

_You give me the power_

_To sit and pretend_

_._

_Damn Regret – The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus_

 

* * *

"Anna? Sister?"

Castiel was certain this was where he previously left her. He had been scouting the perimeters for some time already, hoping to locate Anna. The real reason why he was searching for her in the first place still eluded him, but somehow it felt right for him to do this.

It was also a bonus that Zachariah gave them more and more early leaves nowadays since – as Castiel had overheard from his other siblings – his superior was having 'leadership problems'. He could not be sure, but from what he had gathered there was another angel who was trying to take Zachariah's position. Zachariah, of course, will be very reluctant to surrender his reign of command, but it appeared as though the other angel – whoever they may be – was proving to be a real challenge.

"Anna?" He could not call very far or extend the signature of his Grace too much lest that someone found him and asked why he was not training or studying. He really _should_ be doing all those things now but… his interests seemed to be shifting.

A moment later, Castiel felt something light touch his head. He glanced up to see that he had a crown of flowers on top of him. And tilting his head a little further up, he also saw Anna hovering above him somewhat upside-down.

"Hi, Castiel!" she greeted brightly.

"Hello, Anna." Castiel returned. He righted the position of his head as Anna went right-side-up and positioned herself on the ground in front of him. Castiel spared a glance at the flowers on top of him again. "What's this for?"

"My present to you." replied Anna with a smile.

Castiel's head cocked to the side. "Why?"

"Just 'cuz. And I got the flowers from the tree you crashed into last time." she said playfully.

Wings ruffling slightly, Castiel fought down the embarrassment flaring within him. Without even thinking, he made a move to take the crown off him.

"Don't remove it! I want you to wear that for the rest of your time here." Anna ordered.

"But – " he began.

"No, I want you to keep it on. You look good with it."

Maybe it was because Castiel was used to obeying orders, maybe it was because Anna was a hundred and eight years older than him so that practically made her a superior. Either way, Castiel lowered his arm and left his flowery crown alone.

She smiled at him and pulled him closer to her. "Look at what the humans just invented, brother." she whispered excitedly, as if this was a very valuable secret. She produced a tiny wooden container and held it out to him.

Castiel stared at it and studied its every angle. "What is it?" he asked.

Anna twisted its top open, and to Castiel's surprise there was a sort of stick attached to it. Except that it was not really a stick; there was a thin, hollowed circle at the end of it, and the inside of the circle was shimmering with colors. He then peered into the wooden container and saw that it was filled with a sweet smelling liquid.

Before he could ask his question again, Anna raised the circle to her mouth and blew on it. What came out made Castiel's eyes widen in amazement.

"Sister… what are these things?" he asked in awe. There were so many of them floating around he did not know which direction to turn to. He was so captivated he almost did not hear Anna answer.

"They're bubbles, Castiel."

Bubbles. Castiel decided he liked bubbles, he liked them very much. One bubble floated near him and he cupped it in his hands. "They're so pretty." he said.

Just as he closed in around the bubble, it suddenly vanished and Castiel let out a cry of shock. Did he break it? He did not mean to break it! Was Anna mad at him for breaking it?

When Castiel turned to Anna to apologize, she let out a laugh. "It's alright. Bubbles pop, that's what they do. You didn't do anything wrong." she assured.

As if to prove her point, three bubbles wandered in front of Castiel and they all 'popped'. All around them, he noticed that all of the bubbles were going away.

"I don't want them to pop." whined Castiel.

"They have to disappear some time. Otherwise, there won't be any room for new bubbles." she said.

As the last bubble popped, Anna dipped the stick into the container again, blew, and made more bubbles come out. Castiel found himself happy again. He watched the bubbles float everywhere but this time he was careful not to touch them.

"Do you want to try?" asked Anna, offering him the stick and container.

At first, Castiel was unsure. What if he failed to do it right? What if he cannot make bubbles?

"Just dip the stick and blow. It's easy, Castiel; I know you can do this." said Anna encouragingly.

He eventually took the items from her and did as he was told. To his wonder, bubbles came out of the circle, just as many as the ones Anna had made. They floated normally and glistened in the light of Heaven just as Anna's had done. He was so thrilled by it that, for once, he lost control of himself and he let out a gleeful laugh.

"Are you thankful that the humans made this?" asked Anna.

"Yes." he said. It was all he could say before he blew more bubbles. Yes, he was indeed very thankful; the discovery of the bubbles made him so excited that he could not wait to make more. Soon, the space around them was filled with bubbles of different sizes and he thought that he had never seen Heaven more beautiful.

"Come, brother. I'll show you something just as good as the bubbles." said Anna, placing a hand on him and lightly pulling.

Castiel did not want to go. He just wanted to stay here and fill the whole of Heaven with bubbles.

"Castiel," started Anna.

His wings slumping in defeat, Castiel returned the stick into the container and gave it back to his sister. "Alright." he whimpered.

Anna chuckled and tousled his wings. "Don't worry. I promise it will be nice." she said.

He lowered his head slightly in submission as Anna took them elsewhere. She took them to another place Castiel had not been to before. It was a small, secluded corner painted in cool shades of twilight; it looked like it could barely contain more than one angel but he and Anna managed to fit. There was a hole on the ground; Castiel tried to avoid it but Anna pulled him forward and made them settle around it.

"This is my secret place, so don't tell anyone about this." Anna whispered. She leaned closer to the hole. "You see this? I made it myself." she added proudly.

"Why? Anyone can make a hole." said Castiel.

"It's special. It goes down deeper than you think." said Anna. "Take a look for yourself!"

As instructed, Castiel peered over the hole. At first there was nothing but mist, then it began to clear and clouds started to appear below behind the blue of a sky. And even further down, Castiel could make out the greenish-brown expanse he just knew had to be Earth.

He retreated from the hole a bit. "Anna... you dug a hole that leads to Earth?" he asked incredulously.

Anna smiled brightly. "I told you it's special." she said.

"But... this should be impossible." remarked Castiel.

"And yet here it is." said Anna. "I can study humans much better with this, and it's definitely easier to keep up with their progress."

Castiel looked over at the hole again. It was undeniably a direct connection to Earth; this was so surreal.

Then a thought struck him. "Are we going to Earth?" he inquired nervously.

"No. As much as I want to, only your superiors can give you permission to do that." Anna replied with something like sadness, albeit she brightened again soon after. "Today, we'll start small. We'll focus on something closer." she said.

"Something closer?" Castiel repeated.

Anna did not respond, she simply stared off into the hole and kept the silence going for a while. Castiel looked around where they were, wondering if he was supposed to be doing something.

"Look!" Anna suddenly exclaimed, making Castiel's wings go up in surprise. "Look, brother; there's a dog chasing a fish!"

She was pointing at the hole excitedly and Castiel decided to peer into it as well. He searched and searched but he could not find any dogs or fishes at all. He checked again, more warily this time, and even extended his gaze to as far down as Earth, but he still could not find anything.

"And over there! A butterfly! And it's bigger than _you_ , brother." giggled Anna, pointing to another direction.

Castiel hurriedly followed where his sister was pointing (while trying to control the embarrassment of a butterfly being bigger than him) in the hope of actually seeing it. Yet like the first time, he failed to find it. Was there really that big of a butterfly? How come he cannot see anything? What was Anna talking about?

"There's a circle of flowers, just like the one you're wearing! Isn't that amazing?" she went on. "Oh and there's a dolphin pulling a wagon along! And a kangaroo standing on a tower! I think it's watching over that banana that's been peeled open."

No matter how hard he tried, he cannot find a single one of the things Anna was talking about. Was there some damage to his eyes?

"Anna, I can't see anything. Is there something wrong with me?" Castiel asked slowly, fearfully.

Anna touched his head and gave him a patient smile. "Nothing's wrong with you. You're just not looking right. Try looking more carefully, but don't overdo your search." she advised.

With uncertainty, Castiel leaned over the hole once more.

"I see a monkey hanging on a branch, brother. Try finding where it is." said Anna.

Monkey on a branch. Monkey on a branch. He did not really understand Anna' suggestion but he scanned the area below anyway. After some time, his scan was completed but he still could not find the monkey. He wanted to look up at Anna and stop his search when she seemed to have sensed his defeat.

"Keep looking. Don't give up."

Reluctantly, he obeyed, not so much that he wanted to but because he was ordered to. He scrutinized the grounds of Earth, but he still could not find anything. He was getting tired; he let his eyes rest by staring at one of the clouds for a while... a cloud that strangely resembled the shape of –

"I found the monkey!" Castiel proclaimed.

"Where is it then?" Anna asked good-naturedly.

"There!" Castiel excitedly pointed at the cloud. He felt proud; he did not care if this was discouraged in Heaven, he found it!

"That's right, that's the monkey. I'm so glad you found it." congratulated Anna, settling beside him.

This was amazing. He never knew clouds could take on fantastic shapes. As he continued to stare at them, all of a sudden it was like a veil was lifted and he can now see all the things Anna had seen earlier.

Anna snuggled into him. "Now, what else can you see?" she asked.

What else? He could see a lot of things now, he could see _everything_! "There's... a turtle, on a hill. A man... a man making a really big jump. And an octopus writing in Enochian!"

His sister chuckled. "Do you know what you're doing, brother?" she fondly whispered close to his head.

Castiel tore his gaze away from the hole. "What?" he replied.

"You're using your imagination." she answered.

"My imagination?"

"Uh-huh. It's sort of when you give things a new perspective, beyond what you normally see, hear or feel. If you believe in it, then it becomes real. You only experience what you _let_ yourself experience, and for the most part it's fun." said Anna. She straightened up and Castiel noticed her expression turning somber. "Although humans do it all the time, there are hardly any of _us_ who use their imagination. Most of the angels just focus on things directly or too deeply. They're too grounded, too analytical; they totally miss out on the possibilities." she stated, staring off into the distance.

Castiel studied his sister closely as he absorbed her words. He could tell that she was bothered by that reality. "Can we... use our imagination again?" he asked.

At that, Anna looked at him warmly. "Of course." She got up and moved away from him a bit. "Let's try something different now, okay?"

"O...kay," Castiel returned, rising as well. He would have liked finding shapes in the clouds again but he trusted Anna; whatever she was planning next was worth trying.

Suddenly, Anna crouched down and let out a huge roar, greatly startling Castiel.

"Anna?" he worriedly ventured.

She did not say anything, just made a low, menacing rumble as the cherry-red light of her form took on an orange glow. Castiel stared at that change in disbelief; angels cannot alter the essence of their light... can they?

Anna roared again, albeit less loudly this time, and approached Castiel while still being crouched down. Castiel retreated a little, unsure of what was happening.

"Can you guess what I am, brother?" she asked. Her voice sounded rougher, like she had become part-beast, but her smile was still affable, although a bit more feral.

And just like that, Castiel caught on. "You're a tiger." he said, now feeling amused.

Anna produced a thunderous roar, as if in triumph. "Very good; you're learning fast." she growled. She began to circle him. "This tiger is getting lonely though. She wants a friend to play with, an animal just like her. Do you know any animal who wants to play?"

As Anna slinked away from him, Castiel spared a glance at their surroundings to ensure no one was watching. When he was certain, he gradually crouched down as well.

Anna turned from where she had been prowling. "And what might you be?" she inquired gruffly.

"I'm a frog."

The tips of Anna's wings started to swish around like a tail behind her as she went over to him. "You don't seem to be a frog." she commented.

"I _am_ a frog!" defended Castiel.

"Prove it." said Anna.

Prove it? How? He _was_ a frog; how can he make her believe him? Castiel immersed himself in deep thought... What did frogs do?

Realization coming in, Castiel made a timid little hop to Anna. Anna's expression remained impassive, but she distanced herself a bit from him. Had his performance been unsatisfactory? Castiel made a bigger hop to reach her. Anna moved away again, but not before Castiel caught a glimpse of a smile on her. Castiel tucked his wings firmly behind him and hopped again. Anna's wings swished in an imitation of a tail as she started a brisk walk; Castiel hopped after her.

Anna let out a gleeful roar before going faster, as if inviting him to a race. Before Castiel could stop himself, he voiced out his agreement in the form of an authentic frog-croak.

They raced. Their speed matched each other's and Castiel wondered for a moment if there would be a winner to this. But then it would not matter; he was happy just hopping alongside his prowling sister.

"Look at yourself." said Anna, her voice still sounding like a tiger.

Castiel did, and to his amazement he discovered that his once sky-blue light had transformed into a lush green radiance.

"Now, you _truly_ believe that you're a frog." she roared cheerfully.

That pleased Castiel, so much that he let out another croak. Then, without even thinking, he hopped onto his sister's back and nestled himself between her wings.

"That's cheating!" exclaimed Anna, but there was no anger in her tone.

"Are you going to do anything about it?" Castiel laughed. This was wrong; he had _never_ challenged anyone older than him before. But that was simply it: he never did it _before._

"You asked for it!"

Without warning, Anna went vertical and Castiel was unable to stop himself from falling off her. They were currently by a hill and the sheer force sent him rolling down its side. Amidst the tumble, he heard Anna call his name, followed by the sound of wings quickly unfolding. However, before she could reach him, Castiel had already made it to the bottom.

"Castiel? I'm so sorry for doing that, brother. Are you alright?" she frantically asked, pulling him up to her.

Castiel noticed that her light was not orange anymore, but a pale red; he could also feel a tremendous amount of concern spilling from her Grace. Castiel looked at himself as well and saw that his green light was once again blue.

"I'm fine." he said, then added, "I discovered I like rolling down the hill."

Anna's wings relaxed behind her as she settled him on her. "I'm still sorry. You could've been hurt." she said.

Head tilting to the side, Castiel studied her with confusion. So what if he was hurt? He can always heal himself.

"Can we do something else?" he asked eagerly.

Anna did not answer immediately. "No, not right now. Maybe some other time, okay?"

Castiel did not even get the chance to reply when Anna took him off her and placed him on the grass. He stared at her in bewilderment, and even more so when she started to walk away.

"Where are you going?" he asked, making a move to follow her.

"I just remembered I have an important matter to attend to." she answered. After a while, she noticed that Castiel was still on her trail. "It's a private matter; please don't follow me."

That provoked something – a feeling – in him; he did not know how to define it but it was unpleasant and he did not like it.

Anna seemed to pick up on whatever it was because she knelt down to his level. "I promise we can still play, just not right now." she said, caressing his head and offering him a smile. "I really do need to be somewhere; in fact, I should've been there a long time ago already."

Castiel suddenly felt ashamed. Had he been keeping her from her 'important matter'?

Anna got up. She was about to leave when something stopped her. "How do you view humans, Castiel?" she asked.

That was a rather... arbitrary question. "They're our Father's creations. We are to give them love and protection." he recited, which was the automatic answer in his training and studies. But after everything he discovered from their activities...

"They're interesting beings, and we mostly take them for granted. We think we know everything there is to know, but the humans will always surprise us. They have a lot of things to offer, to teach us." he answered sincerely.

Since their creation, he had always been curious about them, and until now he wanted to know more about them. Humans were different from angels, he knew that, but they were also similar in some great ways. Uriel constantly referred to them as 'mud monkeys,' and although Castiel kept it to himself, he always disagreed with him at that.

Anna's smile this time was small, but soft and full of something he could not really comprehend. "That's all I needed to hear." she said. "Take care of yourself now. I look forward to the next time we meet."

She left.

Castiel remained where he was for a while. It was only later he realized that he still had the crown of flowers on his head. He could remove it now since Anna was no longer here.

He kept it on anyway as he flew off.

TBC


	3. 3

_You used to talk to me like_

_I was the only one around._

_You used to lean on me like_

_The only other choice was falling down._

_You used to walk with me like_

_We had nowhere we needed to go,_

_Nice and slow, to no place in particular._

_._

_I used to reach for you when_

_I got lost along the way._

_I used to listen._

_You always had just the right thing to say._

_I used to follow you._

_Never really cared where we would go,_

_Fast or slow, to anywhere at all._

_._

_Used to – Daughtry_

* * *

Castiel did not care who saw him, he just wanted to find Anna.

"Anna? _Anna_? _Anna_!"

He kept flying, no longer conscious of direction or speed. He kept flying until his wings gave out and he plunged into a meadow of dandelions. The white seeds exploded all around him, and he wished they kept on falling until Heaven could not see him anymore. Anna, where was she? Where was his sister? He needed her; he did not want to be alone right now.

" _Anna_?"

Castiel was crying now, tears in the form of light spilling from his eyes. He should not cry, he was not supposed to cry, none of them were. Crying meant he was _feeling_ , and feeling meant that he would fail as an angel, which would just affirm what the others had said. He should not give into emotions, yet he wanted nothing except to submit to them. He was to be a soldier; he should be in control, unconquerable –

…he was so scared, so humiliated, so confused, so demoralized, he felt so much and – Anna, Anna, Anna, Anna…!

"Shhh. Hush, Castiel. Hush, brother. I'm here now; I'm here. Shh, it's alright. I won't leave you."

Gradually, Castiel became aware of Anna's presence enclosing him. He later gathered that he was trembling, and that where his tears had hit the ground, cornflowers – the same blue as his eyes – sprung up in their wake. He did not care, he just buried himself into Anna's essence and clung to her as more light trickled from him.

Anna ran a hand soothingly along his back and placed her head on top of his. "It's okay, it's okay. Shhh… Just let it all out." she cooed.

Let what out? Castiel did not understand but he just held onto her tighter and hoped that he was not being told to really do anything.

"Would you like to tell me what happened?" Anna asked softly.

Castiel stiffened and the light spilling from him became thicker and hurt more.

"Shh, it's alright if you don't want to say anything. Right now, you're safe. Nothing and no one can harm you while I'm here." comforted Anna. She shifted in her place, and for a moment, Castiel feared that she was going to leave him. Instead, it was the opposite.

Anna began wrapping herself around him, Grace, light, wings... but what surprised him the most were her arms going around his form and pulling both of them closer together, more than her wings and Grace ever could. It was strange, it was such a... physical thing to do. Angels did not do this thing to each other much, this act of touching. It was labelled as a human habit; angels had their Grace to make contact with one another, and for a long time, Castiel had believed that it was enough to sustain their bonds.

Now, however, he was starting to understand why humans did it so often. He also wondered why it could not be the same for angels.

"Castiel," Anna began softly, holding him tighter. "Do you know what this is called, what we're doing?"

He knew this, he knew the term, but vaguely. Castiel lifted his head to look at Anna. "An embrace?" he tried.

Anna gently smiled and dusted the dandelion seeds off his head. "Yes, but it's such a heavy word, at least to me anyway. The humans call this a hug, which is like an embrace except without all the weight surrounding it." she replied.

Castiel sensed the flow of his tears discontinue as he absorbed this new term. Hug.

"Why do humans hug?" he asked diffidently.

"They do it for a lot of reasons. They hug because they want to cheer up someone who's sad, or they hug to make themselves even happier. And sometimes they do it because they really love someone and they want to let that person know how much they matter to them." Anna explained, running her fingers through his wings in a calming manner.

Hearing those words, Castiel tilted his head. "Am I loved, sister?" he asked.

Anna stared straight into his eyes and playfully rubbed the top of his head. "Of course! You're my brother! And besides, who could possibly not love you?" she laughed, though she was genuine with her words.

He knew that Heaven was built on the foundations of their Father's love, and as a family, he knew that a connection with his brothers and sisters could not exist without love, but it was actually nice to hear it. Most of all, it was nice to hear it directly at him.

Then, Anna leaned forward and tenderly placed her mouth on the side of Castiel's face.

"What was that?" he inquired bemusedly.

"That's a kiss." answered Anna brightly.

"A... kiss?"

"Uh-huh. It's another thing the humans do. But they don't do it to just anybody; they only do it to the ones who are the most special to them, someone they're really close to and really love." She started dusting the rest of the dandelion seeds off him as Castiel just stared at her with wide eyes. "I love you, alright, brother? So whenever you have a bad day, just come to me and we'll make it better, okay?" she said sweetly, kissing him again on the top of his head.

Castiel nestled into Anna's light and he had never felt safer in his existence. He wished all of his siblings displayed as much as affection to one another. Before he was aware of it, he opened his mouth and muttered, "Some of the angels in my garrison ridiculed me during practice."

The red light of Anna's Grace flared, almost threateningly. " _They_ _did_?" she remarked tautly.

Castiel went on, no longer so heavily burdened somehow. "They called me a freak because I showed far too much interest in humanity and their ways. They said I was defiling the title of an angel because I'm stooping down to the humans' level. After that, they called me weak and a traitor, then knocked me down and broke my practice-blade in front of me." he recalled.

Anna's light brightened considerably, the warmth of her aura suddenly becoming boiling hot before cooling off a while later. "They have no right to do that." she said quietly, but Castiel did not miss the frightening edge to it. She then turned to him. "Give me their names, Castiel. I'll teach them a lesson."

He recognized that tone; that was the tone Zachariah used when he was about to punish somebody, and no one wanted to deal with his punishments. "Anna, no, please. Don't hurt them." said Castiel.

"Brother, they mocked and hurt you. They deserve something just in return." Anna pointed out, getting up.

Castiel helplessly plopped onto the ground but held onto the tips of Anna's wings just as she was about to leave. "Please, Anna; don't hurt them. They're simply confused; they don't know all the good things humans do." he tried to reason. "And they're my brothers – _our_ brothers. I love them too and I'm tired of seeing our family get hurt all the time."

Anna stared at him for a long time, until eventually her posture relaxed. "Okay. You're right. But I still would like to talk to them some time, and that includes convincing them to forge you a new practice-blade. What they did to you was very mean." she said.

Smiling, Castiel went forward and hugged her. "Thank you, sister." he said.

There was a slight hesitation before Anna chuckled and hugged him back. "You're welcome. And whenever you're ready, you can tell me their names, okay?"

"Okay."

They soon settled back into their place on the meadow when Anna perked up, clearly sensing something. "Castiel, what you told me, were those really everything they said and did to you?" she asked.

Castiel felt his wings go stiff for a brief moment. "It's not important." he mumbled.

"So they _did_ do something else." Anna affirmed.

He ducked his head and avoided her gaze. "It's not important." he repeated.

"Castiel,"

"...they said my wings are ugly."

Anna sighed and Castiel found the courage to slowly look up. "I ought to make my talk to them sterner; that insult is just pushing things too far. Next to the Grace, the wings define an angel and hold their dignity; no one should dishonor that." she said.

She motioned to her side and when Castiel looked, there were multiple jars and brushes on the ground.

"Would you like to help me blow some dandelions? Just enough so we can have a clear circle," Anna asked.

Castiel had no clue what she was planning; albeit, he trusted her and set himself to work. Now, he was no stranger to blowing on dandelions, but he had never seen this many seeds floating in the air before. There were _so many_ seeds overhead that it was hard to believe they all came from just a small patch. In awe, he watched them get carried away by a breeze and suddenly he felt small simply by looking at them all; but, for once, that was alright since he felt like he could stare at them forever.

"Lie down, brother." whispered Anna, guiding him to lie down on a bare stretch of grass.

He found that it was even better to watch them while lying down. It was like watching a show perform endlessly for him.

"Now close your eyes." she said.

That managed to snap Castiel out of his daze. Close his eyes? He had never done that before. A hint of fear began making itself known to him.

"It'll be fine. I promise." Anna assured.

Just like that, Castiel obeyed. Everything became dark at once; he was not used to not seeing any color, shape or detail. He was scared; he wanted to open his eyes now.

"Relax, Castiel. I'm still here. Keep your eyes closed."

Anna. Anna was there, and she was stretching his wings out on the grass for some reason.

"Shh... Relax, relax. Now, tell me, what are the things you like?"

The things he... liked? He did not understand.

"For example, uhhm... Do you like the stars?"'

Castiel thought about it. "Yes." he replied.

A moment afterward, he felt something small, light and wet being dragged along his wing. Castiel got very startled.

"It's okay, it's okay. Just picture the stars in your mind."

Castiel did, if only to distract him from whatever Anna was doing. Then, the dark gradually lit up with stars. He was amazed at such a feat; he never realized how well his imagination worked when he had his eyes closed, like putting pictures on a blank slate.

"Do you like thunder storms?"

"No." came the immediate answer.

"How about flowers?"

Castiel could have imagined any flower, from the biggest ones to the kind that was the most fragrant. Instead, his mind instantly went to the flowers Anna had put into his crown. "I like flowers." he replied idly.

"Okay. What else?"

He thought about it. "I like bubbles, and nice fluffy clouds." he said. He thought a little more. "And frogs and tigers." he added with a bit of a laugh.

Anna giggled beside him. "They certainly sound familiar."

Castiel laughed again, a tad louder this time. "And... I like spending time with you." he said.

"You're so sweet. Don't ever change, brother. Alright, just a bit more and I'm done."

"Done with what?" he asked.

"Just a few – Okay! You can open your eyes now!"

Castiel did as he was told and found himself face to face with a smiling Anna. He then noticed that the jars had been opened, and inside each of them was a different colored liquid. "Anna...?" he began.

The smile on Anna became more radiant. "Look at your wings." she instructed excitedly.

He turned to his side and was shocked at what he saw: his right wing had been transformed into something similar to a canvas. There were pictures of stars near the edges of his wing, and they glowed and shined just like the real ones. At the bottom were flowers, exactly like those on his crown. Within the border of stars and flowers were intricately placed clouds and bubbles that seemed to be moving upward. And at the very center of it all, was the picture of a hopping frog.

When Castiel looked at his left wing, everything was the same, except that in the middle there was a pouncing tiger.

"Flip your wings over to the outer layer." said Anna.

Castiel brought his wings around himself and saw that the other side was colored in a way that resembled the sky when sunrise came, with blues, pinks, oranges and purples mixing splendidly together. He studied his wings wholly one final time, though that hardly changed how amazed he felt.

"There. Now _no one_ can say that your wings are ugly." proclaimed Anna proudly.

Castiel touched the surface of his wing, as if to ensure that the colors and pictures were really there. "Anna... it's so beautiful. Thank you." he said.

"They won't last forever, unfortunately. Paint has a very short lifespan after all. So you might as well make the most of it." said Anna. Suddenly, her grin returned and before Castiel knew it, he was being taken to a different location.

"Where are we going?" inquired Castiel.

"A place to test the endurance of the paint on your wings." Anna answered happily.

O_x

"Anna, I'm not certain about this." Castiel voiced out his concern.

"It's like I told you: just scoop a handful, compact it and then throw it at your target. Namely me." Anna explained.

With insecurity, Castiel stared at the abundance of snow around them, then at the short snow wall he had constructed in front of him, which Anna said should act as his defense barrier. "Is this combat truly necessary?" he asked.

"Just because I said we're going to have a snowball fight doesn't mean we would _actually_ fight. Think of this as a combination of your practices and our games." laughed Anna.

Castiel timidly looked down and did not say anything.

"Come on, brother! Snow is extremely rare in Heaven! In a while, it will all melt and we can't play anymore." said Anna.

That was what he was hoping for. He did not want to get hit with snow.

Suddenly, a snowball hit his wing, with enough force to make Castiel stumble.

"Anna!" he whined.

"It looks like the paint is holding up. But just to make sure..." Anna hurled a snowball at his other wing. This time, Castiel fell back onto a deep pile of snow. When he popped his head out of the mound, Anna threw another snowball and it landed squarely on top of his head.

Castiel struggled out of the snow, just in time to avoid another snowball, and hid behind his barrier. He needed to act; he did not want to keep getting hit. Thinking fast, he scooped some snow, moulded it and threw it at Anna.

The snowball hit her straight in the face. Castiel stared at the reality of that for a few moments in silence before succumbing to a fit of laughter.

Then Anna hit him in the face in retaliation. Castiel wiped the snow off him and saw that Anna was now the one laughing. Determined not to let her get the best of him, Castiel quickly scooped more snow and prepared to launch.

For the longest moment in Heaven's history, the firing of snow was exchanged in lightning-quick precision as two angels ultimately became covered in a thick layer of snow.

Inevitably, within a short time, the snow started to melt away. Castiel had his last snowball in his hand, raised and ready to throw. He was putting a smidgeon of his Grace into it to prevent it from melting. He watched as both his and Anna's barriers liquefied, and while his protection was ebbing away, so was his sister's, and the second her wall dissolved enough, Castiel would throw his final snowball at her.

Except that Anna was not there, even as all traces of snow melted away.

Castiel lowered his snowball and carefully approached Anna's site. Where was she? Could angels melt like snow? Had Anna _melted_?

" _Boo_!"

Castiel was caught so off-guard that he jumped and somehow his snowball landed on top of his head. Turning around, there was Anna – un-melted and smiling – and Castiel could not help but glare at her somewhat; as a result, the snowball on his head liquefied and water ran down his face.

Anna giggled and wiped the moisture off him as an act of apology. "Brother, I just received a message and I have exciting news!" she exclaimed.

His frustrations with the snowball fight forgotten, Castiel tilted his head in interest and waited for Anna's revelation.

"Zachariah is no longer your superior." said Anna.

Castiel's eyes widened at that. This was indeed great news! But then, he realized another factor. "So who _will_ be my superior, as well the others'?" he asked.

"You're looking at her." Anna declared proudly, smile brightening.

Castiel's mind briefly went into a state of shock. " _You're my superior now_?" Even as he said it, he found it hard to believe. This was too good to be true!

"You might've heard some whispers circulating that someone was trying to usurp Zachariah's position. And I believe I mentioned the last time we met that I had an important matter to attend to," said Anna, and all of a sudden things fell into place for Castiel and he was unable to resist grinning and hugging his sister.

"I'll do things differently, I promise that. But don't expect you and the other angels can just goof off whenever you want. I'll still demand discipline and respect, Castiel." she said, her tone a mixture of lightness and seriousness.

Castiel stood back slightly. "Cas."

"What?"

"Cas. I don't mind if you call me that." he remarked.

Anna considered him for a long time before she gave him her warmest smile yet. "That's good to hear. What made you change your mind?" she asked.

For a moment, Castiel did not say anything. "I don't know. I'm just… okay with it now." he said.

It was not much of an answer, because honestly Castiel did not have a real one. Maybe he was comfortable around Anna now, enough that he wanted to confide something to her, something secret only they can share and understand, like their own language. Maybe it was also because he admired his sister so much that he wanted to be like her, even in the littlest of ways. Regardless, Anna chuckled, took his hand in hers and started leading them forward.

"So Cas," she began. "Have you ever jumped in a puddle before?"

"Not yet." Castiel replied coyly, knowing what to expect next.

They were now walking across the ground where the snow used to be, only now there were puddles.

"How about we spend a few minutes here, before we alert the others and announce the change in leadership?" Anna asked.

Castiel giggled and stepped into the nearest puddle. Like with most things Anna had made them do, he failed to see the point of this undertaking. It was so insignificant compared to the roles and obligations assigned to angels. Jumping into puddles would not honor their Father's will, it would not banish malevolence, it would not preserve the balance of life, and it would not make a big impact on time and dramatically change lives.

After feeling the water splash at his wings on his first jump, he was fine with that.

O_x

_"Anna, I don't know what to do. Please tell me what to do."_

_"Like the old days? No. I'm sorry. It's time to think for yourself."_

Fin (for this mini-story).

**Author's Note:**

> Shekinah – angel of unity and unconditional love
> 
> Afriel – angel of youth
> 
> Sofiel – angel of nature


End file.
